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Monday, March 14, 2011

{UPDATE} Not Crafty? You can purchase one of my meal planners in my Etsy Shop

So not only do I have a tutorial for making a paper clutch but also a printable. Combine the two and you have a pretty sweet meal planner. Yep I said meal planner. I am a sucker for planning, especially meals. I swear by it. It makes life so much easier when you know in advance what you are going to cook for the week not to mention it saves a ton of money...how many times do you eat out each week because you don't know what to cook??? Need I say more.

If you are not into meal planning you can replace the printable with regular 8.5 x 11 paper or if you don't feel like crafting feel free to just print the menu planner below.

What you need:*menu planner printout or plain white paper*2 sheets of 12x12 cardstock. Make it Eco-chic by using a paper bag!*scissors or cutting board*hole puncher*ruler*glue*2 brass brads

1. Print the menu planner out double sided and fold in half. You may have to play with your printer in order to get it to print double sided. Some printers do not print double sided so you will have to feed the printout back through the printer. I promise this will be the hardest part. I printed out 6 sheets for my clutch. This will allow for 12 weeks of meals.Choose as many sheets as you wish but know that too many sheets will make your clutch bulky and not line up correctly.

2. Next cut a piece of 12x12 cardstock into a 9x12 sheet and fold it in half. This will be the cover. Note the picture above. The cover will be slightly larger than the printouts.

3. Now you are going to connect the cover to the printouts by putting two holes through the sheets using a hole puncher. I measured the holes based on the size of the hole puncher to make it easier. You may want to clip the cover to the printouts to insure it is lined up correctly before punching the holes. Each hole was one hole punch away from the edge.

Then use two brass brads to connect the pages to the cover.

When you open the clutch up it will look like this with the two brass brads.

4. Now you have a neat little book but in order to turn it into a clutch you need to add the pocket and flap. Next take a new piece of 12x12 sheet of cardstock and cut it into 3 pieces. One 5.75" x 9" (pocket) and two 5.75" x 3" (sides) pieces.

4. Fold the small pieces into an accordion by folding each piece in half {pattern side facing the inside then folding each half in half again {sounds confusing...see the pictures below}.

5. Now you will want to glue the accordion pieces to the pocket, one on each side. Once these pieces are dry, glue the edge of pocket to the back cover of the clutch.

Your final piece will look like the picture below.

6. Now for the flap. Use a scrap from the cardstock you cut. My flap measured 6 x 8.75. I measured in 2" and folded allowing a 4" flap. Once folded insert the two inch flap into the pocket and glue it down. You can be creative with your flap...cut it smaller for a latched look.Add a some velcro to keep the clutch closed or even a button. I also added rhinestones to the flap. Be creative make it yours.

Now you have one really awesome clutch to keep all of your menu and grocery list's tidy. What I love most about this clutch is that it has a pocket to keep all of those coupons in!

How long does it last though? Have you tried covering the pieces in contact paper? I'm just thinking the way I have to switch my stuff over from the diaper bag to a purse & back again that it doesn't seem like it would last that long. I do love it though & may try making one myself. Thanks for the step by step & pics it will be very helpful.

I got the paper in a pack from Hobby Lobby. I am not sure of the brand since the top of the pack has gone missing.I have not tried to cover it in contact paper but that is an excellent idea! You can even use clear packing tape. You might even be able to laminate the pieces {not the accordion sides} before you put it together. I am right there with you with switching from diaper bag to purse.

Another closure idea .. A string that you can wrap as a figure 8 around two brads. So, take another brad and poke it thru the middle of the front cover, then add one on the flap- carefully giving yourself enough room between the two when they are closed. Add a thin string, make a knot around around the brad on the flap (between the head and the paper) and secure with a wrap around the other. We tried this with both yarn and embroidery floss and both were still thin enough to work great.

I am so glad you guys are enjoying making these. Send me pictures of your creations to pam@paperclutch.com. I would love to see them. Also, I am working on a few to sell in my shop for those who are less crafty and plan to do a giveaway for one next week-thanks for the idea Amy. Stay tuned! Check out my shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PamDover?ref=pr_shop